Chapter 009: Distribution of the Examination Rooms

The next day, Dong Xue didn't come to school. Her family had informed the school that she had caught a cold after getting caught in the rain the previous night.

Actually, after returning home the previous night, Bian Xuedao had also developed a slight fever, but fortunately, his health was strong. After a good sleep, he woke up feeling fine the next morning.

Sitting in the classroom, looking at Dong Xue's empty seat, Bian Xuedao deeply regretted not insisting that she take a taxi home the previous night.

He knew that Dong Xue wanted to spend more time with him, but with such heavy rain, he should have been more insistent. He thought she would listen to him.

But he decided not to dwell on it. The most useless thing in the world was regret.

...

In the days when Dong Xue was on sick leave, Zhou Hang had been spending less time reading and doing exercises. Instead, he often borrowed the "2000 Admission Guide" from somewhere and then went to the internet café with Bian Xuedao.

Zhou Hang went to the café to look up information on various universities, while Bian Xuedao checked whether Xu Shangxiu had responded to his QQ messages. He had visited several times, sent friend requests, but they all disappeared without a trace.

It didn't matter anymore!

In any case, three months later, they would meet at Dongshen University.

Back in June 2001, none of the students in Bian Xuedao's class had mobile phones, though a few had beepers.

One day at the internet café, a young guy sitting next to Zhou Hang on the computer asked a girl for her phone number and immediately dialed it once he had it.

After a brief conversation, the young guy said, "This is my phone number, call me on this one," exuding a confident, successful man's aura.

After chatting for a while, the young man left the computer.

At that moment, Bian Xuedao noticed that Zhou Hang had been staring at mobile phones for a while.

On the way back to school, Zhou Hang was the first to bring up life after college.

He asked Bian Xuedao, "Have you ever been to a college campus?"

Bian Xuedao replied, "Which university do you mean?"

Zhou Hang said, "Any college, have you been to one?"

Bian Xuedao nodded and said, "I've been."

Zhou Hang asked, "What's college like? How is it different from high school?"

Bian Xuedao frowned and answered, "Well, you can attend classes, sleep, take a shower, and eat. Other than that, it's more relaxed and the courses aren't as tight. It's pretty much the same."

"Anything else?"

"The buildings are taller, there are more people, um, and you get to see girls from all over the country, with all kinds of accents."

"Do the dorms have phones?"

"They have phone lines. You just need to buy a phone and hook it up, but you need to get a phone card with a password."

"How do you know this?"

"My older brother told me."

Bian Xuedao didn't see Dong Xue again until 7 days later.

When they met, it was clear that she had been very sick. Her face was pale, and she looked drained, unlike her usual bright self.

During a break, Bian Xuedao walked over and sat next to her, asking, "Are you feeling better?"

Dong Xue pursed her lips and stared at him, asking, "Did you miss me?"

At dinner, Dong Xue's two close friends invited her out for a nice meal.

On the way, they ran into Zhou Hang and Bian Xuedao, and they called Bian Xuedao to join them.

Bian Xuedao calculated the cost and smiled, "Sure."

Halfway there, they ran into Guo Dong, who hadn't eaten yet, and Bian Xuedao decided to invite him as well. Now, there were six people—three boys and three girls.

Before they started eating, the two girls insisted that Bian Xuedao and Dong Xue sit next to each other. At first, Bian Xuedao refused, but Zhou Hang intervened and said, "That's how it should be. If you two don't sit together, none of us will be able to enjoy our meal."

So, they sat at a square table, with Bian Xuedao and Dong Xue on one side, the two girls on another, and Zhou Hang and Guo Dong on the other.

As they were eating, the two girls surprisingly asked the waiter for three bottles of beer.

Dong Xue said, "We still need to go back to school later."

Guo Dong opened the beer and said, "It's fine, the exam is in 10 days, who cares?"

The meal lasted until six bottles of beer had been consumed.

Bian Xuedao allowed Dong Xue to take a sip of the first glass, but for the rest, he claimed that she was recovering from her illness and said the alcohol might react with her medication, so he drank it on her behalf.

Every time Bian Xuedao drank for Dong Xue, the two girls' eyes sparkled.

During the meal, Bian Xuedao observed his classmates and made many new discoveries.

Both girls were very understanding and worldly.

The most talkative person at the table was Guo Dong, who kept the atmosphere lively and controlled it well.

The one who surprised Bian Xuedao the most was Zhou Hang.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Zhou Hang was more open that night. He didn't talk much, but he was able to join in on every topic seamlessly and say just the right thing, making everyone feel like he was a "kindred spirit."

Near the end of the meal, Bian Xuedao excused himself to go to the restroom, intending to pay for the meal.

However, when he stood up, Zhou Hang stopped him and pushed him back into his seat, saying, "Dong Xue is back today. This meal's on me. Next time, you pay."

The two girls stood up and said, "We were supposed to treat Dong Xue."

Zhou Hang waved his hand and said, "Don't argue with me, I'm paying today."

Sitting back down, Bian Xuedao realized he had underestimated Zhou Hang. This young man, not even 20, was actually quite the clever person.

However, as Bian Xuedao searched his memories, he realized he didn't know anything about Zhou Hang's life after the college entrance exam.

But that made sense, as they hadn't had much interaction beyond being classmates.

After this meal, the six of them formed a little group, and in the following days, they took turns treating each other to meals, with a little bit of alcohol each time.

By the sixth day, it was supposed to be Dong Xue's turn to treat, but the class teacher suddenly announced, "Any students who have been drinking can go home; don't disturb others in the classroom," bringing their dinners to an end.

...

...

July 1st, one week before the college entrance exam.

After evening self-study, Bian Xuedao returned home. His mother was knitting a sweater while waiting for him. When he entered, she took his schoolbag and asked how his meals were at school. Then, she went to the kitchen to prepare food for him.

When she brought over the fried eggs and milk, Bian Xuedao became serious and said, "Mom, I need to discuss something with you."

"What's the matter? Tell me."

"I want to borrow 1500 yuan from you," Bian Xuedao stressed the word "borrow" but his mother didn't seem to hear it.

"Why do you need so much money? You don't need this much for books or exam papers."

"I have a use for it. Really, I'm not doing anything bad. I promise I'll pay you back by the end of the year, or the latest by this time next year."

"No, I can't give you so much without knowing what it's for. I'll have to discuss it with your father," his mother was very firm.

"Mom, I really need it!" Bian Xuedao pleaded.

"No! Finish eating and go to bed." With that, she left the room.

What should he do?

What could he do?

The 1500 yuan was a problem Bian Xuedao couldn't solve.

Borrow from relatives?

Impossible. No matter which relative, they would definitely talk to his parents first.

Earn it?

No way. Even if he had time, he didn't know what to do to make money.

This dilemma haunted him until July 3rd.

During the third class that morning, the head teacher came to distribute the admission tickets.

The long-anticipated college entrance exam was finally just around the corner.

The teacher called out names, and the students went up to collect their tickets while their exam room numbers and seat numbers were announced.

The classroom was silent, everyone listening attentively.

The teacher called out:

"Li Yunhai! Examination venue: First High School, Exam Room 3, Seat 5."

"Du Botao! Second High School, Exam Room 11, Seat 1."

"Ma Cheng! Third High School, Exam Room 1, Seat 15."

...

When Du Botao heard his seat was number 1, his face immediately fell.

Ma Cheng spent a long time discussing with others and realized he was probably in the front row, so he also looked disappointed.

Nobody had any thoughts of cheating, but no one liked sitting in the first row, directly facing the invigilators and the roaming